Wildcats to Watch: Georgia-Kentucky

The Bulldogs host Kentucky this Saturday at Sanford Stadium in Athens for Georgia’s final home game of the season; so, who are the Wildcats to watch?

STEPHEN JOHNSON (QB, #15)

This multi-talented quarterback for the Wildcats entered this past Saturday’s Vanderbilt game with 1,605 yards passing and 10 touchdowns while completing right at 62 percent of his attempts. Johnson, a 6-2, 185-pound senior, had also run for more than 300 yards. Not only will the Georgia defense need to bring a good pass rush against Johnson but, also, be wary of when he breaks containment and keeps the football.

BENNY SNELL (RB, #26)

Snell, a 5-11, 223-pound sophomore, set a Kentucky freshman rushing record in 2016 when he ran for 1,091 yards and is about to topple that mark this football season. With the speed to go outside and the power to run between the tackles, Snell is an offensive force who teams with QB Johnson to give the Cats a prolific 1-2 offensive punch. Again, another challenge Saturday for Georgia’s talented defensive unit.

Mike Edwards(Photo from Kentucky Athletics)

MIKE EDWARDS (SS, #7)

Edwards led all SEC defensive backs in tackles last season with 100 stops and is far and away Kentucky’s leading tackler again this fall. With his quickness and speed, the 6-0, 200-pound junior defends both the pass and run with equal efficiency and the Bulldogs’ offense needs to be aware of his presence at all times Saturday afternoon.

JOSH ALLEN (OLB, #41)

Along with Edwards and also Wildcat seasoned linebacker Jordan Jones (34), the Georgia offense must also account for this guy. Allen, a 6-5, 230-pound junior outside ‘backer, can indeed cause disruption in the backfield as he had recorded seven sacks and 9.5 tackles-for-loss as Kentucky went into the Vanderbilt game this past Saturday. So it’s vital that the Bulldogs get an outstanding blocking performance from their tackles and tight ends Saturday, as well as from the running backs.

Recent Articles by Murray Poole

Murray Poole is a 1965 graduate of the University of Georgia Journalism School. He served as sports editor of The Brunswick News for 40 years and has written for Bulldawg Illustrated the past 16 years. He has covered the Georgia Bulldogs for 53 years.